Former education minister, Ruqayyatu Rufai, joins ASUU strike

The former minister said it was unfair to ask her to speak on the strike

The immediate past education minister, Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, who was sacked from the federal cabinet last month, has joined the ongoing strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, which she failed to resolve while in office.

PREMIUM TIMES’ inquiries at Bayero Universities, Kano, BUK, where Mrs Rufai was teaching Education Curriculum before joining the Jigawa State cabinet in 2007 as commissioner, and later the federal cabinet in 2011, revealed that though the former minister had returned to the institution, she could not resume work because of the industrial action.

Public Relations Officer of BUK, Mustapha Zaharaddeen, told this newspaper in a telephone interview on Wednesday that the former minister had joined her colleagues in the strike.

“How can she teach? She has joined the strike. She has no choice. How can anybody teach? Don’t forget, ASUU National President is from BUK,” Mr Zaharaddeen said.

Before she was fired, Mrs Rufai, who became Education minister in 2011, was a member of the Governor Gabriel Suswam-led Federal Government negotiation team, which was holding discussions with ASUU officials led by the Union’s President, Nasiru Fagge, who incidentally teaches at BUK.

However, the government team could not make any head way in resolving the issues that led to the strike which is now entering its third month, until Mrs Rufai left government, unceremoniously.

The former minister returned to her home state, Jigawa, two days after her sack and was welcomed by a large crowd which had gathered in Aminu Kano Triangle, Dutse, the state capital.

The crowd repeatedly shouted her name in excitement when she arrived at the venue, accompanied by her husband, Ahmed Rufai.

Responding to questions from journalists during the reception, the former minister, a professor of curriculum studies, promised that she would return to the classroom the following Monday.

“I plan to go back to my university, I am a professor in education in curriculum studies and I will report on Monday and then take a brief leave to have a kind of rest, but I am going back to the university,” she said.

On whether she would join the ASUU strike, which she was negotiating away while in government, Mr Rufai, said “Don’t make me controversial, don’t make me controversial.”

She said she had no regrets that she was relieved of her appointment, saying “This is the fourth time that I am handing over in my life. I have been a commissioner twice and I have been a minister twice and it is really not a surprise and depending on what the circumstances may be.”

Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, under whom she served as commissioner and who nominated her as minister, revealed that a few weeks before her sack, Mr Jonathan told him she (Rufai) “was doing a good job.”

Mr Lamido, was, however, silent on whether she was fired because he (Lamido) joined six other governors to float the New PDP led by Kawu Baraje. The group is opposed to Mr Jonathan’s bid to contest the 2015 presidential election.

“Ruqayyatu has discharged her responsibilities as minister responsibly, and I repeat there is no anger or ill feeling because what the president did is within his constitutional powers. We have no pain, no ill feeling,” the governor said.

“There is need for people to know why we are gathered here. Anything that has a beginning has an end,” the governor said.